Soapbox Inc

Recap of Feminist Philanthropy—the Perspective of Donors

We met at the Jewish Community Center for a lunch hosted by Sherri Sandler. The panel was Sherri Sandler, Anne Delaney, and Nancy Meyer. Each panelist talked a bit about how she came to giving, her family background, and her philosophy as a funder. Sherri Sandler defined feminism as “knowing what you want and asking for it.” Elona asked for advice as to how best to give, especially if you have less money, (i.e. under $30,000 per year in income). Nancy Meyer suggested asking two questions: “What can I afford to give this year?” and “What is bugging me most?” Anne Delaney underscored that the main reason she gives is that she is asked and even if she doesn’t have a particular passion for the work she is asked to fund, she will give a little and is happy to be exposed to the issue or work. They all referred to the consultant Tracy Gary, author of Inspired Legacies, as being particularly attuned to the concept of feminist philanthropy.

Recap of Third Wave Foundation

Melissa and Sheena of the Third Wave Foundation described its mission—a national regranting organization to support the social justice work of young feminist and trans activists age 15-30.  They took us through an exercise in making direct grants from the emergency abortion fund in which participants had $300 with which to make one or two grants, choosing among three emergency situations, which is something Third Wave staffers must do on a near daily basis.

Recap of Networking Party

We had fun at the Bubble Lounge and were joined by Kathleen Hanna (Le Tigre, Bikini Kill, riot grrl instigator), Molly Neuman (bratmobile, The Peechees, The Frumpies, riot grrl instigator), Vinnie Angel (Vinnie’s Tampon Case), Meredith Villano (Paradigm Shift), Shelby Knox, Gloria Jacobs and Jeanann Panasch (The Feminist Press), and others.



Today our students explored various aspects of Reproductive Justice. 

In the morning session, students broke into smaller groups and attended reproductive justice meetings with: Choices in Childbirth, Guttmacher Institute, Choices Medical Clinic, Lynn Paltrow of National Advocates for Pregnant Women, and Planned Parenthood.

Recap of Boot Camp:

In the afternoon session, students met with two Planned Parenthood of NYC activists, who conducted a Reproductive Rights bootcamp.  Students learned how to take their knowledge about reproductive justice and put it into action.  They received many handouts and tips to become better activists.

Federal Overview: college students are not citizens, but constituents- and should feel compelled to continue with any plans for action if they please. Political knowledge will enhance activism and successfully gathering news can equip activists with the knowledge to make convincing arguments.

Tricky Subjects: the key to 'winning' for any activist and cause is to tell other what they care about. To communicate correctly, it is important to focus on framing your argument in a way that is both gentle to the opposition and convincing, bringing both sides together instead of provoking bumper sticker responses.

Activism 2.0: Why do we organize? Organizing can give us a collective voice, and allows us ....

1. to be powerful

2. to empower others

3. to create change

4. to be visible

5. to educate

Recruitment/Retention: split up work and make everyone within a group feel valued in order to create an excited and enthusiastic group. Similarly, remember that passive membership is still valuable, but it is important to engage the activists within your group and hold them accountable. Similarly, take responsibility for your own contributions and always follow up with your members to keep them engaged.

Recap of Career/Grad School Panel:

Today we met with Will Simpkin, a career specialist at Barnard College, Kara Elverson, a front-line resume reader at Ms. Foundation for Women, and Melissa Gonzalez, a PhD Candidate in Spanish.  They each offered advice on how to choose a career, how to present yourself to employers or grad schools, and what to expect when looking for (or landing!) a job or internship.

Straight from Will Simpkin, the Associate Director of Civic Engagement at Barnard College, came golden advice for making a resume.

Five tips are:

1. Contact information—keep it professional! (You do not want to be pothead09@aol.com.)

2. Educational Information—keep it succinct, with no more than 3-4 relevant courses from your CURRENT institution. High school should no longer be on a resume after graduation. And include your thesis title!

3. Experience: Part 1—Relevant, Part 2—Other

4. Leaderships and Involvement - include your high-profile and relevant ones in "Experience," and use this for anything less relevant.

5. Skills and Interests (interests is mostly filler.) Have no more than 4 interests.  List all software sets known, languages spoken.

Similarly, Kara Elverson of the Ms. Foundation spoke about what employers look for, how they scan resumes and cover letters, and the big no-no's of writing that "interested in" email. Some key hints were to avoid careless mistakes like sending a letter to the wrong addressee. She suggests putting a lot of time into each application, and to work on a different resume for each in order to best highlight experience that is relevant and valuable. She also stressed that academic papers are less helpful to employers as writing samples if you have professional writing available (including reports and blogs).

Also, some good news - the objective statement is dead, and you no longer have to lead with "Hi, my name is ______."

Melissa Gonzalez offered guidance to undergraduates about deciding to go to grad school.  She stressed that students should do thorough research and be well-prepared; send well-written samples, and edit them before sending them. Always have your materials observed and edited by more than your own eyes, and when it's crunch time, some people may or may not choose to live at home (again) while filling out applications.

In the afternoon, students attended personalized mini-internships at: AIR Gallery, Sadie Nash Leadership Institute, Ms. Foundation for Women, Third Wave Foundation, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Girls Write Now, Akashic Books, Scenarios USA, The Feminist Press, Willie Mae Rock Camp for Girls, and Women Make Movies.





We were saddened to see in a recent New York Times that Leora Tanenbaum's book Slut! Growing Up Female With a Bad Reputation, hasn't stopped slut bashing in high schools.  The Times reports:

The principal of Millburn High, New Jersey’s top-ranked high school, says it has gone on for a decade: annual hazing by senior girls who create a “slut list” of incoming freshmen for the first day of school.

If this type of hazing is going on at Millburn, we know it must be going on everywhere.  Contact us at jenandamy@soapboxinc.com to book Leora to talk to students about this issue. 

Soapbox, Inc: Speakers Who Speak Out speaker, Peggy Orenstein, contributed to the discussions around Caster Semenya in a recent New York Times Magazine.  Her piece, What Makes a Woman a Woman?,  questions what validates her own gender.

On Saturday June 20th, from 2-4pm, in the Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Auditorium of the Sackler Center for Feminist Art, in the Brooklyn Museum, Courtney E. Martin and Gloria Feldt, among others will sit on a panel to discuss women’s lives, power, entitlement, and empowerment.

Our speakers have often spoke out to defend Dr. Tiller and advocate for women's access to late abortions.  Here's a roundup of what they've had to say:

Amy Richards with Bill O'Reilley:

Shelby Knox twittered from a vigil honoring Dr. Tiller in NYC @ShelbyKnox.

Jennifer Baumgardner writes about late term abortion and Dr. Tiller in her recent book, Abortion & Life.

Gloria Feldt writes on behalf of Dr. George Tiller on Salon.com.

Katha Pollitt speaks out against Anti-Choice Terrorism in the blog And Another Thing.

We apologize for the nuisance caused by unsolicited texts that have been sent from our website.  It seems that our site has been spoofed by spam-artists who are using or website and faux email addresses as a portal.  We are looking into how this is happening and are attempting to resolve it immediately.  Please be assured that you are not on any mailing list of ours and we are aware of this problem.  It was certainly never our intention to send spam texts and we are doing everything we can to resolve this issue! 

We've been keeping our new calendar of Soapbox: Speakers Who Speak Out, Inc. events updated.  Go find out when your favorite feminists will be in your town!

Soapbox: Speakers Who Speak Out, Inc. co-founder, Amy Richards appeared on GritTV with Laura Flanders last week.  You can view the clip here.

Congrats to Soapbox: Speakers Who Speak Out, Inc. co-founder Jennifer Baumgardner!  In September, Akashic Books will release Jennifer's book Abortion & Life, based on her film I Had An Abortion .  The campaign created around the film included t-shirts, screenings, and now a book of portraits and testimonials from women including Gloria Steinem, Barbara Ehrenreich, and Ani Difranco. 

 Learn more about the book at an upcoming reading:

Mon., July 28, 6:30pm
Zandbroz
420 N. Broadway
Fargo, ND
*Cosponsored by the Women's Network of Red River Valley and the North Dakota Human Rights Coalition, with an introduction from Mitch Marr of the NDHRC. Wine & cheese reception to follow.

Thurs., July 29, 7:30pm
Magers & Quinn
3038 Hennepin Ave. S.
Minneapolis, MN
*Cosponsored by Pro-Choice Resources

Wed., September 3, 6:30-8pm
Busboys & Poets
2021 14th St. NW
Washington, DC

Tues., September 23, 7pm
McNally Robinson Booksellers
52 Prince St.
New York, NY
*Cosponsored by the New York Abortion Access Fund

Wed., September 24, 7pm
Joseph-Beth Booksellers
South Side Works
2705 E. Carson St.
Pittsburgh, PA
*Cosponsored by the November Gang and the Abortion Conversation Project. With an introduction from Claire Keyes, director of Allegheny Reproductive Health

Tues., October 7, 7:30pm
Elliott Bay Book Co.
101 S. Main St.
Seattle, WA
*With Amy Richards, author of Opting In: Having a Child without Losing Yourself. Cosponsored by RH Reality Check and the CAIR Project.

Wed., October 8, 7:30pm
Powell's
1005 W. Burnside
Portland, OR
*With Amy Richards, author of Opting In: Having a Child without Losing Yourself

Thurs., October 9, 7pm
City Lights
261 Columbus Ave.
San Francisco, CA
*With Amy Richards, author of Opting In: Having a Child without Losing Yourself

Sat., October 11, 7:30pm
Skylight Books
1818 N. Vermont Ave.
Los Angeles, CA
*With Amy Richards, author of Opting In: Having a Child without Losing Yourself

Sun., October 12, 5pm
Vroman's Bookstore
695 E. Colorado Blvd.
Pasadena, CA
*With Amy Richards, author of Opting In: Having a Child without Losing Yourself

Sat., October 18, 12-2pm
Conkey's Bookstore
226 E. College Ave.
Appleton, WI

We're excited and proud to welcome Ashley Rhodes-Courter to our roster this Spring!  Ashley recently published a memoir about her experiences in foster care and adoption titled Three Little Words.  The video above is of the BR!CK Awards where she won a Golden Brick Award for her work as an advocate for children still in the system.  You can also learn more about Ashley by viewing a CNN profile of here. 

Congrats to Soapbox: Speakers Who Speak Out, Inc. co-founder, Amy Richards!  Her new book, Opting In: How to Have a Child Without Losing Yourself was recently released -- and just in time for Mother's Day.   Amy's book has so-far been featured in Newsweek, Salon, and others. 

 Soapbox speaker Shelby Knox testified before Congress during a hearing for abstinence-only education.  Her testimony also appeared on Jon Stewart's Daily Show, here.  Go Shelby! 

Take a look at Soapbox founder Amy Richards talking with Dan Savage about abortion, adoption, and what "choice" means. They spoke together at City Arts & Lectures earlier this month.

Check out Soapbox speakers Farai Chideya and Gloria Steinem discussing race and gender in the Democratic primary. Gloria appeared on Farai's show, News and Notes.